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Gearing up for Romance Writers of America's national conference in New York City! Funny story: I'd looked through all the shops in my hometown for a long evening gown for the RITA/Golden Heart awards ceremony and couldn't find one. So when I was up in Virginia this past weekend, I decided to go to Macy's. Feeling very impatient and panicked that I still had no dress, I pulled up to the store with two of my favorite shopping friends–and we couldn't shut the sliding passenger door on our van! We were withing fifty feet of Macy's and couldn't go in! We had too many valuables in the car. It was incredibly frustrating, LOL! I just knew my dress was in there.

Nevertheless, I ignored my shopping instincts , got back in the car, and drove it to the dealership with the door wide open (I said to my friends, "Let's just pretend it's a UPS truck.")

At the dealership, I told the friendly service manager, "I'm an out-of-towner and I have to go back to Macy's to find the perfect dress for a special event I'm attending in New York later this month. Could you please ask someone to drive us back to the mall while you work on the car?" I think I had a crazed look in my eye that every man there recognized as the look of a frustrated female shopper.  Even the main dealership manager showed up, anxious to help.

The chivalrous dealership employees indeed returned us to the mall, and I found my dress (yay!). When my friends and I were done shopping, all we had to do was call the dealership and they came back to the mall to pick us up. My van was ready.  At first, the technicians thought I'd have to stay in town an extra day while they waited for parts to make the repair, but somehow they managed to get the door shut so I could leave on time and get the van fixed back home.

We got to be so friendly that I'm sending a copy of CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MARRIAGE to the service manager's wife. I told him I'd never met such a thoughtful bunch of guys who really went out of their way to help me with my Dress Crisis.

Oh, and the car crisis, too!

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Whew. That was a roundabout way to get a dress, but at least I did, and now I'm ready for New York!

Do you have a dress story? I'd love to hear it!!!

Kieran :>)

To be eligible to win one of two copies of this fabulous book by my new favorite author Kristan Higgins, tell me your BIG PLAN this summer–remember, a BIG PLAN can be swinging in the hammock! It doesn't have to be fancy. What is it that you're really looking forward to this summer? I'll announce the winners on Thursday.

Kieran XOXO

Support diabetes research! If you go , you can bid on my book club package.

We all know someone with diabetes, right? Brenda Novak, a best-selling author with many friends in the publishing industry contributing items and services to her auction, has managed to raise over a million dollars for diabetes research. This year, the auction is bigger and better than ever, so check out all the different categories!

Included in my book club package:

12 autographed copies of Cloudy with a Chance of Marriage

2 surprise goodie baskets to use as giveaways for your book club event

And…if you're within a 5 hour driving distance of Charleston, SC, I'll come to your meeting!

If not, I'm happy to attend for 30 minutes via Skype.

You can also bid on a signed set of When Harry Met Molly and Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right right .

To everyone working to eradicate this disease, thank you for your dedication to the cause. And thank you very much to all the bidders for your support.

Kieran :>)

Hey, all! Thank you SO much for coming here, to GoodReads, and to my and  pages to learn more about my books! My latest release in the Impossible Bachelors series, CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MARRIAGE, hits the shelves Tuesday, April 26th.

It got a starred review at both Booklist and Library Journal. You can see the full reviews on my  page!

Instead, I'd rather talk about you and what you would do if you couldn't fail. I've asked this before on a couple blogs, but I find the answers really fascinating and want them here, on my blog!

***What would you do if nothing stood in your way?***

I think we all know such a scenario will likely never occur, or only rarely. Most often, something is in the way, like a giant blob of fear, or an empty bank account, or a mean mother-in-law (I'm not talking about mine–she rocks!).

This exercise is more about finding out what your deepest desire is. Once you pinpoint it, my advice is go for it–plow over the blob of fear, sell everything you can on e-Bay except your mattress and your little black dress, throw a pie in the face of the person who's sneering at you–and go for it. Because we only live once.

And wouldn't you rather get to the end of the race whipped cream-spattered, short on household sundries*, and out of breath, knowing that you tried?ĚýĚýThat matters more than whether you actually GOT the darned thing. Because we can't take anything with us–except the knowledge that we ran a good race, right?

So please feel free to share below in the comments. Five random commenters will each get a signed copy of CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MARRIAGE and some romance trading cards, one for each book in the series. And all of you will have my undying gratitude for visiting me here and for supporting my books!!

Hugs,

Kieran :>)

* What is a sundry?

NEW GIVEAWAY! I have a BIG goal, y'all–to hit 2,000 "likes" on my  page by the release date of CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MARRIAGE on April 26th! I'm teaming up with , the author of the Love by Numbers Regency romance series, whose next book, ELEVEN SCANDALS TO START TO WIN A DUKE'S HEART, comes out the same day!

"Like" us both, and if we reach 2,000 "likes" each by April 25th, we're giving away a Kindle. We'll announce the winner online at our exciting mutual release day party at WORD bookstore in Brooklyn, NY, on April 27th.

Added bonus: For every 500 "likes" we receive (combined), we'll give away a $25 gift card to B&N or Amazon–winner's choice. Of course, if you've already friended us both, you're entered in the contest automatically. Fingers crossed…let the "liking" begin! :>)

Hi, my fellow writers!! There's something I wrote on my Facebook page a while ago that applies to anyone with a dream, but tonight, I'm thinking especially of you, my fellow RWA members. I know how hard all of you worked to get those entries in to the Golden Heart and Rita contests. Tomorrow, as we wait for that phone call, we'll all have butterflies in our stomachs! I hope that–no matter the results–you'll take the following message to heart:

About that dream of yours?

You HAVE to believe it can happen. And sometimes there will be NO support. But it's funny, once you commit to going for it, supportive people come out of the woodwork: mentors, people with the same dream, the universe conspires to help you.

Have you ever read The ARTIST'S WAY? You should! You have to love yourself. You have to believe you deserve to chase your dream…you were meant to!

And always, in the end, the most important thing is the journey. Were you brave–even though you were scared? Did you try–even when you were exhausted? The way you choose to live matters MORE than the dream. You don't hear that too often, but it's true.

I believe we are all bigger than any dreams we can invent for ourselves. When you understand you have no need to prove anything to anyone, it gives you the confidence to follow your dreams. They don't seem as daunting anymore. Because now all they are is a celebration of YOU–the wonderful YOU that you already are!!!!! Remember the saying, "You had it in you all along?" Well, you do. So feel happy and at peace about the fact that you already rock. It'll free up lots of energy for you to nurture your hopes and dreams, and you'll have FUN pursuing them instead of being all worried about how far along you are to achieving them.

Yay, us. And I don't mean that in an egotistical way. I mean that in a grateful way. We shouldn't be ashamed to say we're fabulous!! We are!! Every single one of us.

Big love from Kieran :>)

It's been way too long since I've posted here! But boy, have things been happening! I've met so many incredibly nice readers since I talked to you last. In fact, I was a speaker at the Antiquity Book Club in Cornelius, North Carolina. My mother-in-law, Dorothy, and my sister-in-law, Kathy, are members and invited me up to meet the more-than-a-dozen ladies who've become their go-to gals for all things bookish! Everyone was so welcoming and put together such an incredible meal to celebrate When Harry Met Molly's launch! Not only were book club members present but my husband's Aunt Patti and Grand-Aunt Bobbie Lee, the hippest aunts in North Carolina, without a doubt–and Dawn and Kathryn (pictured above), Kathy's BFF's and the most awesome girls around!! I'm claiming them as my dear friends, too–they both drove for hours to get there.

The quiche and salads were fabulous, the Antiquity ladies were so fun, and I couldn't have had a better time (the men were smart and cleared out of the house so the women could chat about the book and the publishing business without distraction).

I was especially touched that my mother-in-law went to the trouble to find an original recipe from 1806 for the Queen's cakes, which were featured in When Harry Met Molly. They were scrumptious!!! I also loved that Kathy made it a point to serve the most delicious blackberry tarts. Everyone who's read the book knows how Molly loves to make a good berry tart and that she and Harry got up to some mischief picking those blackberries�.

So here's to the Antiquity Book Club.  Thank you so much for taking such a friendly interest in my writing. It was a happy afternoon that I'll always look back at with fondness–my first-ever book club luncheon!

How about you, dear reader? Are you in a book club? If so and you want to discuss one of my books, I'll be happy to Skype you or phone you during your meeting. Just contact me and I'll get it on the calendar.

Time for another big contest: the second book in my Impossible Bachelors series hits the shelves on Nov. 30th! In Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right, Spinsters with a capital S are women who'll marry for love and nothing less.

Spinsters rock. I like to think we're all around. As far as I'm concerned, you can be a Spinster whether you're married, in a relationship, or single–as long as you love yourself and don't settle.

Spinsters don't make decisions based on fear . They don't hide. Spinsters go after what they want!

You can win a $100 gift card to either Borders or Barnes and Noble simply by leaving a comment here about why you think you qualify to be a Spinster or a woman in your life does. Make your comment any length you wish. You can also enter just by writing "SPINSTERS RULE!"

And while you've got Spinsters on the brain, please check out my companion blog, .

FYI: The winner of the gift card will be chosen at random on December 15th and announced at 5 pm EST. Also, if you leave a comment and it doesn't show up immediately, it's only because I have to approve it. I promise I'll be checking in several times a day!

I hope you have a great time reading Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right, and thank you for all your support!

Hugs,

Kieran :>)  P.S.

I'm bowled over by the fact that my absolutely favorite Regency author and major-mega writing idol, Julia Quinn, recommended When Harry Met Molly on her Facebook page!ĚýĚý

I almost fell on the floor when I saw that she did, AND I had to go outside and run around the block to work off the adrenaline rush.

One thing I'm discovering is that there are SO many kind, generous people in the romance writing world.

Why is that? 

Well, I think it's because if you write romance or are associated with it in any way behind the scenes, you must have a pretty optimistic outlook on life. You believe in the power of love. You believe in making connections. You believe in happy endings.

So thank you, Julia Quinn, RWA Hall of Famer and the Queen of Regency Romance!  I am forever indebted to you. And I can't wait for your next book, The Lady Most Likely, written with Connie Brockway and Eloisa James:

This week the next installment of the Harry Potter story is coming to a theater near you: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One.  (Mad clapping!)ĚýĚýIn honor of everything Harry Potter-related, here's the poignant and inspiring commencement speech J.K. Rowling delivered to graduates of Harvard on June 5, 2008. It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. I hope you like it just as much: 

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